pastry for supper.

two things of note here: one, you can and should eat pastry for supper. perhaps not all the time, certainly, but the folks in cornwall seem to do it often enough. but, if you’re not eating pastry for dinner at least once in a while, you’re missing out. two, parchment paper is your friend. my pizzas, my cookies, my breads have all turned out much better since i’ve started using parchment. and, while i would rather use a fancy silicone pad, to be honest, i find that they don’t work for much other than cookies and even then it’s touch and go.

now then. i made this tart several times last year, because i like tomatoes. and cheese. and pastry. and i’m not sure why i stopped making it, but when i proposed it to the husband, he was skeptical about a tart full of tomatoes. because, unlike me, he likes his tomatoes in moderation. he also made the valid point tomatoes aren’t quite really in season any more, and shouldn’t i have been making this three months ago? damn him.

so, out went some of the tomatoes and in went lentils. lentils that were cooked with pancetta and onion and garlic, if you must know. the pancetta became a good topping for grilled cheese and flavoured the lentils nicely.

served with a salad of spinach and a bright, citrusy dressing. not too bad for a weekend meal, really.

for the lentils
pour a tablespoon olive oil into a frying pan and bring to medium heat.
cook the pancetta, garlic and half the onion, until the onion is translucent and the pancetta crisp
remove the pancetta and set aside
toss in the lentils and the liquid and bring to a simmer
allow lentils to simmer for at least one hour, until cooked to tender

for the roasted onion
heat the oven to 350
pour 1 tablespoon oil over the onion slices (from that half onion you have left over from making the lentils)
roast in the oven for about 25-30 minutes (i did this while cooking the lentils)

for the tart
heat the oven to 400F
pour the lentils into the baked tart shell
layer the onions on top of the lentils, then the basil, then the tomatoes.
crumble the goat cheese over the tart
bake for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the tart is warmed through